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2 Tim. 3:16, 17: All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof,
correction, and instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect
[artios=complete] thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Rom. 15:4: Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that
through patience and comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope.
<> Therefore, all Scripture has a FALLEN CONDITION FOCUS (FCF) since
everything written in Scripture has the purpose of giving us hope in our fallen condition.
B. Implications of the FCF (the why that reveals and delivers meaning).
______________ it means (even if we can say many true things about it).
2. We are not ready to say what a passage means until we have determined why the
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Communicating Christ / Lecture 1 The Heart of a Christ-Centered Message 2
<> FCF Definition: The FCF is the mutual human condition that contemporary
believers share with those to, or for whom, the text was written that
requires the
______________ of the passage.
Recognize that thus far we have only discussed the negative. If all Scripture focuses on some
aspect of our fallen condition, why does it do so? The answer is clear: to supply the warrant and
need for the _________________ ________________ it contains to be applied. Thus, just as every
Scripture echoes our incompleteness, it is in some manner signaling the Saviors work which makes
us _________________.
Our goal as readers and teachers of Scripture is to decipher the signals, for until we do so we do
not truly understand the text. It is possible to say all the ____________ words and yet send all the
____________ signals.
Biblical theology is that branch of exegetical theology which deals with the process of the self-
revelation of God deposited in the Bible. Revelation is a noun of action relating to divine
activity. Revelation is an historically progressive processa long series of successive acts.
The progressive process is organic: revelation may be in seed form which yields later full
growth accounting for diversity but not true difference because the earlier aspects of the truth
are indispensable for understanding the true meanings of the later forms and vice-versa.
C. Pudding Lessons
Gods imprinting of our incompleteness in Scripture does not merely show our fallenness, it
reveals His ________________ and ___________________ which are necessary to fill us up
and make us whole.
Key Principles
Because we are fallen, Scripture is not telling us what we must do to complete ourselves
or make ourselves acceptable to God for then we would not be truly fallen.
No text in Scripture says what we can do, or should do, to make ourselves better or more
acceptable to God, as though we could lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps. The Bible
is not a self-help book.
All the Scriptures are about one, consistent, organic message. They tell us how we must
seek Christ who alone is our Savior and source of strength to do the things God says
must be done. To proclaim these musts apart from the source that enables their
accomplishment is to warp the Biblical message. Christ is integral to every passage.
Key Texts
1 Cor. 2:2: I resolved to make nothing known among you but Jesus Christ and him crucified. . . .
(cf. 1: 23: We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the
Gentiles.)atonement, not example, is key.
Luke 24:27: Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained what was said in all the
Scriptures concerning himself.
Matt. 17: The Transfiguration. Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the prophets, appear to
testify of Christ.
Be messages imply that we are able to change our fallen condition. Our path to grace is
made by us is the implicit message. Listeners are left to assume our acceptance by God is
determined by our actions. But such messages, stated or implied, make us no different than
Unitarians, Buddhists, or Hindus. Romper Room taught us the difference between the Do
Bees and Don't Bees; the Bible has more to teach us.
Remember also Be messages are in Scripture, but identify their context. We cannot be
anything of God without grace.
Recognize Be messages are not wrong ______ themselves, they are wrong messages _____
themselves.
__________-centered religion.
What we communicate with the best of motives to help change damaging behaviors and
attitudes actually hurts others if Christ is absent. People cannot do what they are told to do apart
3-Step Process:
(Ask these things. . .)
or
A. Topical Approaches:
B. Textual Approaches:
analogy
illustration
or, addition
C. Expository Approaches:
1. Text
2. Type
3. Context
1. Be Like . . .
2. Be Good . . .
3. Be More Disciplined in . . .